The Homebrew Electric Car Saga - Escort EV Installment 10

[drusha1]

so where is ep 11 at?

[hipofalcon]

@drusha1 - sorry, no episode 11 until LiPO batteries come down to a price level that makes it practical for use by us poor folks. I am holding out for these and it shouldn't be long. The lead-acid units are now at their life's end and the gels that I had in there are toast as well. The biggest problem is the battery issue. As soon as lithium units are cheap enough, I will replace the pack and chargers and do an episode 11 - thanks, Ken.

[WulfBand]

How about covering the exterior of the car with Solar Cells ? ;)

And toss in a couple of exterior fans that would generate power when your driving down the road ? :) hehehehe

[hipofalcon]

@WulfBand - I do have solar panels, but there really is no point to it. There wouldn't be enough power in that many panels to even notice a difference. I like the fan idea - can I interest you in a perpetual motion device? ;-)

[FeelFree888]

Hello,

I am not much of a mechanic, so I am impressed to see a completed conversion such as yours. I have a dream of doing the same somewhere in the next few years...

I have a few questions : Being from Quebec myself, I always wondered how batteries would hold up in the cold. What's your experience?

I don't mean to sound nozy, but can you give me a ballpark figure of your conversion budget so far? And, are you a professionnal mechanic?

Many thanks for your videos and for your reply.

[hipofalcon]

@FeelFree888 - hi, sorry it took so long to reply. I am not a mechanic. As for the cold, lead acid batteries do not work that well - about 40% reduction in power for sure. I have about $5000 into this conversion, so it's not a huge amount of money. As for the batteries, hold out for lithium ion or lithium polymer types to come down a bit in price. They are far better as they have a higher power density, longer life (about 3 to 4 times any other type) and will perform well in the cold. Ken.

[oepolish]

episode 11? This is awesome, I'm thinking about buying a old junker and convert it to electric. if I could get to do at least about 30 miles on a charge i could drive it to work and back and charge it at home.

[hipofalcon]

@oepolish - Go for it! It's easier than it looks - really. 30 miles is an easy number to reach with the proper battery pack/charger. With Lithium Ion cells, you could do that with ease - money for the batteries and management system is high, but if everything else is cheap, it balances out. Look into it and keep us posted if you decide to do it. Ken.

[Airwinger33]

Would be slightly worried about those metal tie downs you used across everything. So easy to short with routine maintenance. Maybe could be powder coated, or dipped in thick plastic, or wrapped with electrical tape. Something to limit accidental tool droppage and massive electrical welding.

[hipofalcon]

@Airwinger33 - actually, it's not as bad as it looks. As for maintenance, there really isn't any - I fill the windshield washer bottle now and then. I did change out the flooded batteries to AGMs, so I don't have to mess with those any longer either. The tie-downs are very tight, so nothing will move unless it's hit really hard. At that point, I would doubt if any coating would help either. I can't think of a better way right now than what it is, but I will keep looking for a better method. Ken

[MauField]

guessing no episode 11?

[hipofalcon]

@MauField - not really. I guess it's just part of the furniture here now. It is so commonplace to just get in and drive it now, that I don't even give it a second thought anymore. Absolutely zero maintenance in terms of oil changes, etc, there isn't much to do. Just plug it in and forget it. Ken.

[MauField]

@hipofalcon ah cool ken, I am tired of my gas powered one. I want to do the ev on it. but with the range I travel and the sites I visit plugging it in at most will be an issue.

[pipersall]

I like your final mounting of your chargers. Looks good!

[altoids5904]

Wow pretty cool. its amazing you can convert your car like this. But for me, I would prefer to have a 302 BOSS instead of an electric motor lol. But great work on the car, its impressive.

[hipofalcon]

Hey, before this I had a 289 C.I. 271 H/P Falcon - one of only 8 made. It would do 12.89 @ 107 in the 1/4 mile - but truthfully, this car has been more fun. Anyone can build a high performance car that runs on fossil fuel. The electric car is the future and watch out, they will be faster! Ken.,

[davidrrrd]

whens #11 ??

how abouut another string of 6 batteries in parelel, located in the trunk maybee.

to extend your range, you should start out in 2nd till fast and chainge to third so as to keep amps at lowest use ect.ect.

amp gage there for should be atop the dash for gear shift advice input to driver

[0urGaia]

Looks fantastic, love to see the estimated mileage and costs when completed.